It is important for you establish the purpose of your diet. It makes a difference whether the intended effect of your diet is to reduce fat or weight, eliminate retention of liquids, increase muscle or weight, or detoxify. Alcoholic drinks are never considered a good choice when you are on a diet, but if you must drink, there are better alcoholic beverage choices.
John Hopkins Studies
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health presented a study in which it demonstrated that weight loss is more effective when you reduce the amount of sweetened drinks. The study found that sweetened drinks are the main source of liquid calories. In the study, the school also established that the weight-related repercussions of drinking alcohol is generally less significant than the sweetened drinks. Again, the final outcome of the ingestion of any drink depends on several factors, including your diet, your metabolism and the foods that you consume with the drinks. However, the study also concluded that while calories from alcohol are not as problematic as calories from sweetened drinks, calories from alcohol still are empty calories that can have weight-related repercussions, especially if consumed in large quantities.
Goals of Diet
The effects of alcoholic drinks vary according to your diet. If you want to lose body fat, you should not drink alcoholic beverages. If you do consume alcohol, physical activity can help you to "burn" the energy from these drinks. If you want to gain muscle, you should drink in moderation and keep a disciplined workout routine. If the aim is to detoxify or reduce liquid retention, you should not consume alcoholic drinks. Finally, if you're trying to gain weight, you should not use alcoholic drinks as a source of energy or calories. It is, however, important to understand your goals when selecting the best alcoholic beverage for your diet. The calories from alcoholic beverages are empty calories. If you are on a calorie-restricted diet, you cannot afford to consume any empty calories. If the purpose of your diet is not to lose body fat, you should select an alcoholic beverage from the bottom of the pyramid of alcohol drinks.
Knowing Alcohol Drinks
There is a pyramid of alcoholic drinks. On the bottom of the pyramid there are lower-calorie alcoholic beverage options that are typically less than 100 calories per 100 ml. Examples include light beer, dry table wine, hard cider and champagne. Moving up one level, there are alcoholic beverages that have approximately 150 to 200 calories per 100 ml. Examples include sweet wine, port and sherry. At the top of the pyramid, you will find alcoholic drinks that exceed 200 calories per 100 ml. Examples include whiskey, rum, gin, tequila and cognac. If you follow a calorie-restricted diet, you can use this pyramid to determine the caloric content of any alcoholic beverages you consume.
Bottom Line
Alcoholic beverages are never a good option if you are on a diet, and if the purpose of your diet is to restrict calories and lose weight, you should opt for a lower-calorie alcoholic beverage. A 5 oz. glass of dry wine, either red or white, has approximately 100 calories and is one of the better alcoholic drink options. Try to avoid hard alcoholic beverages that have a higher caloric content. Also remember that many of the mixers used with hard alcoholic beverages might have more calories than the alcohol itself.
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